Hoops!

The past two weeks have been FILLED with basketball. Between the Big East Conference tournament and state semi-final games, I have been very busy. Basketball games are some of my favorite games to shoot... I love the sounds of sneakers echoing through the gym, the screaming fans, the smell of popcorn wafting out from the concessions stand. I'm so glad that I have reached the point that I am really enjoying sports. I've come a long way in the past year, friends.

Here are a few of my favorites from the past week. 

Six Months & Counting...

Tomorrow is February 5th, 2014... a date that marks my 6-month milestone at the Telegram. Sometimes it feels like I've been here for years, and other days I still feel like its only my first week on the job. I've been thinking a lot about how Rocky Mount and my experience at the Telegram has changed me (for better or worse) and what I've learned in the past six months... Here's a short list:

1. I learned to love shooting sports. I never thought this was possible. Throughout college and my internships, I DREADED shooting sports of any kind. Now I actually look forward to my night shift stints of basketball, wrestling, volleyball, football, etc. When I started at the Telegram, I had maybe 5 solid sports action/feature photos. Now I have a full sports portfolio on my website. I'm really proud of this change.

2. I learned to be patient. Rocky Mount has been slow going for me... I haven't really added anything to my portfolio aside from sports. I've been chasing and craving that one big, amazing image that will bolster my portfolio and just put me over the moon. But it hasn't really come. I do my best every single day to shoot to the best of my ability, but that image just hasn't found me yet. So I'm trying my best to be patient... and to focus on the task at hand and let that revelation come to me in it's own time.

3. I learned a bit about what I never want to become in this business. There are people out there, and I've met more than a few at my internships and beyond, who have lost their passion for this business. If you don't love it, live for it, crave it... then why are you still doing it?

4. I learned how to make something from nothing. Living here has been a challenge to say the very least. 600 miles from anyone I know and care about... and living in a town in which it is notoriously difficult to form friendships. I'll admit, I had my dark days. But rather than focusing on the bad, the lonely, the miserable, I learned to make something out of nothing. To find the joy in my alone time, to find the human interaction I needed in non-traditional ways. To lower my expectations and shift my perspective of what life should be. This may confuse some of you who have never experienced a situation like mine... Consider yourself lucky that you don't understand what I'm saying!  Rather than mourning the loss of my social life, I found new ways to keep it alive, even if it was only enough to keep me going for another day, another week... And that has made all the difference.

Here are some images from the past 5 weeks or so. Enjoy and constructive criticism is always welcome.

Tavoris Parker, 7, holds his eye and cries after falling down during a foot race Wednesday at the Lucy Ann Boddie Brewer Unit of the Boys & Girls Club of Nash & Edgecombe Counties.

From right, Adam Zammiello, 28, Ricky Richmond, 27, and Jason Gumpton, 27, tumble laughing down the hill after wrecking their sled Wednesday at the Tar River Reservoir.

Pastor Florence Nicholson, of Restoration Church of Christ in Wilson, N.C., sheds a tear during the Concert of Prayer, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014, at Word Tabernacle Church in Rocky Mount, N.C. Nicholson came to the concert to support her home community of Rocky Mount. Police in this North Carolina town are searching for a man who sprayed a church playground with gunfire, striking four youths and leaving a 12-year-old boy gravely wounded. 

Rocky Mount High's Rayshawn Elliot scores a nearfall against Southern Nash's Clinton Whittaker during Thursday's wrestling meet at Southern Nash.

The "Bucket Team," from left, James Jones, 13, Michael Smith, 17, Shyheim Battle, 12 and Timothy Bridgers, 14, rest against the gymnasium wall after shooting hoops Wednesday at the Lucy Ann Boddie Brewer Unit of the Boys & Girls Club of Nash & Edgecombe Counties. "I'm only 12 and I've been robbed three times in Rocky Mount," Battle said. "There's nothing to do around here so kids get bored and join gangs to cause trouble." 

Corey Jabar Alexander Jr., weighing in at 6lbs and 7oz was born at 11:56am Wednesday morning, the first baby born in Rocky Mount in 2014.

Members of the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church and members of the NAACP celebrated the life of Martin Luther King during a special service featuring Dr. William Barber, II, President of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP.

Northern Nash High School wrestler Alan Johnson, left, sticks his tongue out while straining to pin Southern Nash High School's Jacob Brantley during their match Wednesday January 8, 2014 at Southern Nash High School in Bailey, NC.

Standing at only 5-feet tall, Nash Central High School's point guard Ni'Ya Styles is still the team's rising star. 

April Batchelor, left, watches as wildlife rehabilitator Ricky Atkinson, right, winces in pain as an injured Red-tailed Hawk's talon rips through his glove and punctures his finger.

Jazmine Ortega, 7, makes a snow angel Wednesday at her aunt's Kirby Drive home in Rocky Mount, NC.

Rocky Mount High School's Jaquell Bryant looks for an opening to pass in a Southern Nash player's defense on Friday January 24, 2014 at Southern Nash High School in Bailey, NC.  

NC Wesleyan's Taylor Paige, left, grabs a rebound while Maryville's Lailah Farmer, right, attempts to steal during Saturday's game.

Destiny Bridgers, 10, sips on a hot chocolate to stay warm in the chilly early morning air outside a church building in downtown Rocky Mount on Saturday January 18, 2014. 

Charita Grant, left, holds Karey Pierre, right, while she cries out in prayer on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014, after the Concert of Prayer at Word Tabernacle Church in Rocky Mount, N.C. Pierre, a teacher at SouthWest Edgecombe High School, was at the church when four youths were shot Monday behind the building on the basketball court. Police in this North Carolina town are searching for a man who sprayed a church playground with gunfire, striking four youths and leaving a 12-year-old boy gravely wounded. 

Rocky Mount High's John Mebane swims in the 200-yard freestyle competition at the Big East Conference Championship swim meet Thursday at Harrison Family YMCA.

Fall Athlete Portraits

'Tis the season for fall sports athlete portraits... We had 8 athletes from different sports to work with at the Telegram and I had the pleasure of working with 6 of them. Here are my favorites from those shoots... One athlete isn't pictured here.  Disclaimer: I am not the most adept with lighting, but I do my best and continue to learn every day. Learning by experimentation has served me well so far.

Left in the Dark & November/December Images

It's been a over a month since my last post. The past month or two have been fairly productive. I have been working hard on growing and developing a body of sports work, both action shots and athlete portraits. There were a couple really crazy days or weeks throughout this period, maybe even a few days where I had to remind myself over and over that there is no crying in journalis. There were times when I wanted to call off work, drive back to Ohio and call it quits... but of course I stuck it out and tried to learn as much as I could from a bad situation. Sadly this happens a little more often than I'd like it to. Rocky Mount is a tough place to live. It's not made for newcomers, especially newcomers ages 19-30. It's a place where you grow up and never leave, taking those same friends from childhood onward into the rest of your life. The rest of us are left out in the dark... or at home night after night watching Netflix alone. But hey, the good news is that I am surviving.

This post will feature some of my favorite images from the past month or so. I will create a separate post soon featuring some of the athlete portraits I've done for the twin counties "All Area High School Athletes" series. It's been a lot of fun getting to experiment with lighting, even though I've been really rushed to complete a few of them. Regardless, I think it's nice to see what I can pull off even when I'm working against the clock.

Anyway, here are some of my favorite images from the Rocky Mount Telegram from the past month. As always, feedback and constructive criticism are very much welcome. Thanks guys, see you next time.

Boys & Girls Club members watch and cheer as James Jones, 13, left, takes a winning shot during a game of Club Ball Monday at The Boys & Girls Club of Nash/Edgecombe Counties.

Rocky Mount High School senior Immanuel King eyes the basket as South Central defenders double team him during Tuesday night's game at Rocky Mount High School.

Jakivyeon Bell, 5, leans on his uncle Mark Bell's shoulders and watches parade floats drive by during the Christmas Parade on Sunday on Main Street in Rocky Mount, NC.

Clarence Henderson, a bellringer for The Salvation Army, sings "The 12 Days of Christmas" and encourages shoppers to donate to a good cause Friday at Hobby Lobby. Henderson says his dream is to one day be Salvation Army Bellringer at Macy's in Times Square in New York City.

Wallace-Rose Hill quarterback Bobby McKenzie jumps to tackle Tarboro running back Radja Bobbitt just a few yards from the goal line during Friday's game at Tarboro High School.

Jonathan Diaz, 7, left, and Joseph Hernandez, 10, right, play with a Nintendo 3DS while waiting for Diaz's family to finish their Black Friday shopping Thursday night at JCPenney.

Pat Sullivan, left, and his granddaughter Karsen Riggs, right, take a moment to sit and enjoy Christmas lights at Autumn's Lights in Tarboro, NC.

Nash Central's Cal Lewis swims in the 200-yard Freestyle competition at the Big East Conference Swim Meet on Thursday at the Harrison Family YMCA.

Nash Central's Ni'ya Styles tries to wrestle the ball from East Wake's Ciera Williams during Tuesday's game at Nash Central High School.

Sergeant Ricky Parks, middle, of the Rocky Mount Police Department, shows off some pink girl's clothes to Shykia Lee, 10, left, during the Cops With Kids program Saturday at Kmart.

Jason Baird, 28, plants a kiss on the forehead of Ichiban, a 4-month-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever and service dog in-training. Baird suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of his 2007 deployment to the coast of Somalia with the United States Navy. Baird says his PTSD had reached a point where he could not sleep for 2-3 days at a time and was self-medicating with alcohol. In mid-2008, Baird started training with one of his other dogs and his life has improved tenfold. Recently, Baird was denied entry to a local gun store because Ichiban was by his side.

Mary Mebane stretches her back and shoulder muscles during a water aerobics class Monday at the Rocky Mount Senior Center in Rocky Mount, NC.

The First Three Months

It's been three months since I started working at the Rocky Mount Telegram in Rocky Mount, NC. To put it lightly, the community and way of living here came as a shock at first. In Eastern North Carolina, cities are commonly drug-heavy, gang infested and there is a high percentage of racial violence. Having grown up in a tiny village in central Ohio, this was a bit different for me. But I think I've adjusted well.

I enjoy my job, my coworkers are friendly and I get along really well with everyone. The nature of my job keeps me mostly glued to "soft" news and feature assignments as well as sports. I guess that's the name of the game for small papers with a circulation under 20,000. I work hard and I'm focusing on improving my sports skills. I'm currently making a list of project ideas to pursue soon. I haven't shot much that I'm completely in love with, but the point of this blog is to keep myself accountable. To keep growing by sharing even the more mundane things I do for work. So here is a taste of what I've been up to during my first three months in Rocky Mount. Enjoy and your feedback is always appreciated.

Father Meares, right, helps Noelle Scheuer, 4, dressed as the Virgin Mary, down the stairs from mass and thanks her for dressing up for the All Saints Day celebration Friday November 1st at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in Rocky Mount, NC.

The sun illuminates an American flag displayed on a raised firetruck ladder Thursday August 8, 2013 at Rocky Mount Sports Complex.

Rocky Mount High School's DJ Perry, left, pushes ahead of Nash Central High School's Andre Diggs during a local cross country meet Wednesday September 18, 2013 at Nash Central High School in Rocky Mount, NC.

Marlee Holloman, 7, right, reassures her little brother Eli Proctor, 3, middle, that he doesn't need to be afraid of Senior Firefighter John Barnhill during the Rocky Mount Fire Department's Fire Prevention Awareness program Tuesday September 15, 2013 at Braswell Memorial Library in Rocky Mount, NC.

Dana Reynolds kisses Chase, a Clydesdale horse, on the nose while her husband Chad scratches his neck Sunday September 15, 2013 at Roma's Clydesdale Farm in Castalia, NC. The Reynolds' are both veterans and members of the Wounded Warriors project. Dana suffers from Degenerative Disc Disease, a back condition she obtained during her time in the Army.

North Carolina Wesleyan College defensive back A.J. Silver, right, tackles Greensboro College wide receiver Justin Dukes before he can catch a pass during their game Saturday September 19, 2013 at Rocky Mount Sports Complex in Rocky Mount, NC. 

Boys & Girls Club members laugh and cheer during a carnival game at the Fall Fest Wednesday October 30, 2013 at the Booker T. Washington Community Center baseball fields.

Southern Nash High School's Moises Gonzalez, right, and Wilson Fike High School's Dylan Thomas fight for the ball during their match Tuesday September 22, 2013 at Southern Nash High School in Bailey, NC.

Retired Navy Storekeeper Third Class Jim Woodall, 72, who served from 1961-1964 in Vietnam bows his head in prayer Monday during the Veteran's Day Celebration Monday November 11, 2013 at the Veterans Memorial at Jack Laughery Park in Rocky Mount, NC. 

A fumbled ball flies from the hands of North Carolina Wesleyan College running back Jacques Alston during their game against Greensboro College Saturday September 14, 2013 at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex in Rocky Mount, NC.

Johnny O'Briant, 5, left, sheds a tear while saying goodbye to his beloved pug MoMo and his father John Allen Kermon, right, after having MoMo blessed by Father Meares at the pet blessing Friday September 4, 2013 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in Rocky Mount, NC.

Clouds of steam rise from the pack of runners into the chilly air during the first hill of the Monster Dash 5k run the morning of Saturday October 26, 2013 in Nashville, NC.

Boys & Girls Club member Willow Smith, 7, laughs and cheers on her friends during a ring toss game at the Fall Fest Wednesday October 30, 2013 at the Booker T. Washington Community Center baseball fields in Rocky Mount, NC.